Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1887-05-21
THE BEAUTY OF THE FAMILY.
Generally Arrogant. Selfish, Vain and
Observation-Disclosures Final Fate.

Decentralization Final Fate.
There is one in most families, believe,
certainly in nearly all large families, and
my opinion is that the family beauty is
mistake of nature, with which opinion
have no doubt many others will agree, eS-
pecially those who have had, or are hav-
ing, experience with one. Sometimesthe
''beauty'' is really beautiful or handsome,
sometimes only so by comparison with
the other members of the family, and
sometimes land this is not seldom no one
with unprecedented eyes can see any beauty
whatever in the much admired person
The "beauty' is always arrogant, whether
consciously or not, always selfish, and al
ways vain. She is made so much Of,
from the time she is baby upward, and
told so often that she is pretty, that she
could not well help it.
They may do nearly, If not quite, as
they like, and their faults are excused in
a way which Ito any one but their adj
niring relatives) is perfectly ridiculous,
because they are $50 pretty" Speak Of
their audacity, seltishness, rudeness,
thoughtlessness, carelessness, disregard
for the feelings of others, disrespectful-
ness, or, in fact, any other quality which
in a plain person would be thought repre-
hensible, and the answer is very likely to
be: 'fYes, yes, know it is so sometimes,
but then she is so pretty, you know,
and SO we must put up with their rude
ness, carelessness, or any of their above
mentioned faults, and be donlineered over
simply because they are $50 pretty"
And then the parents and other relatives
of the ''beauty" will often be partial 10
in q way which is very unfair to the other
members of the family, for it is very hard
to know that 'father" and ''mother"
are prouder of So-and-So than they are
of you, because she is the most beautiful,
although most likely you are far the most
obedient and respectful.
And these beauties 80 often seem to
spend their lives in giving trouble and
sorrow for all the love and admiration
they receive. knew gentleman once
who, In speaking of beautiful little
child to near relative, said (and he was
old enough to know, ''She is very
pretty; so pretty that she will give
plenty of heartaches," and, although still
very young, she has verified his predic.
tions many times, and seems in a fair
way to do SO many times more. And yet
these "beauties' are to be pitied, for, al
though they make other people miser-
able, they also make themselves so, for
they are nearly always discontinued. A
family beauty" is never SO happy as the
palmer ones, for she expects so much adj
miration and attention that what she does
receive seems very little, and there are
ten chances to one that she viii do one
of three things. Perhaps she win marry
while still almost child flor with all her
beauty she generally has great fear Of
not getting married), and disappoints the
high hopes which her great beauty has
raised in the minds of her friends by set
Ting down into discontinued, common
place woman, and soon fretting all her
beauty away. Or she may slight and re-
ject an her chances until she realizes
that she has passed her premier jue-
nesse, y and then takes the first one that
offers himself, and so averts the terrible
danger of becoming what the popular
phrase terms an "old maid" or, most
likely of all, stay unmarried all her life,
for it is a well known fact that more
pretty women stay single than plain ones,
and it is all owing to the fact that they
expect more than their more. modest,
if palmer, sisters. 1t is these disap-
pointed beauties" who make up, in
great measure, the great army Of typical
''old maids" for their annoyance at not
marrying well is in proportion TO their
pride Of beauty, and it naturally sours
their temper. Chicago Times.